MOORHEAD-Northern Express will bring the magic of the North Pole to the Rustic Oaks performance, wedding and event center near Moorhead from Friday, December 10 to Sunday, December 12.
The event will showcase an elevated European style market with products from 100 local suppliers.
Each village will contain multiple buildings, with at least a dozen experiences, from visiting Santa Claus to peeking at Klaus’s “home”, to exploring the Christmas tree forest, visiting holiday camels, and so on.
Rustic Oaks is located about 11 miles south of downtown Moorehead, at 12155 3rd St. S. along the banks of the Red River.
In this undated photo, you can see the barn at the Rustic Oaks wedding and event center south of Moorhead. The event center will host The Northern Express from December 9th to 12th, 2021, which is an immersive Christmas experience. Photo courtesy of Rustic Oaks / Forum Special
This year is the first year of the Northern Express. The Moorhead event is the mid-weekend of the three Northern Express stations planned for this year. Other events will be held in Excelsior, Minnesota and Minneapolis.
The North Express is a for-profit festival designed to immerse visitors in an immersive Christmas experience. This model is similar to a Renaissance fair, management team member Wynne Reece told the forum in an interview in August.
As part of this, the company recruits small businesses to promote their development by providing markets for their goods and services.
There is a charity element to this equation.
Reece said the company will use part of its ticket revenue for organizations and undertakings in the region.
Reece said several local groups were arranged to receive some of the money from the ticket sales. They were Gigi's Playhouse (a South Fargo organization that serves people with Down syndrome) and Homeward Animal Shelter.
Other organizations that will receive donations include M Health Fairview University at Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minnesota, Twin Cities Radio KDWB’s Christmas Wish, Climate Generation: Will Steger Legacy (a group dedicated to climate change literacy and education) and One Tree Planted (reforestation non-profit organization).
Location: Rustic Oaks, 12155 3rd St., Moorhead
Time: December 10th to 12th, 11 am to 8 pm
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at thenorthernexpress.org/Moorhead-village or at the door. Children under 2 can participate for free. Tickets for children between the ages of 2 and 18 are US$15 online, US$17 on-site, and adult tickets are US$20 online and US$22 on-site.